Light Amongst the Darkness
by Maraudercat
Summary: Seven milestone moments in the relationship of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Written for the Milestone competition on HPFC. Rating for death and drinking.
1. First Meeting

**DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR.**

Written for the Milestone competition on HPFC.

* * *

The first thing Tonks noticed when entering the dingy kitchen was the sudden burst of laughter from the far corner. The four men fell about, one slapping the table enthusiastically while he howled with mirth, another choking on a poorly timed mouthful of his drink. The third just shook his head sadly while he patted the choker's back while the fourth, who had apparently told the joke tossed his hair and gave a bark-like laugh that resonated in her childhood memories.

As their host rose from his seat to welcome them in she clenched her wand-hand tight to restrain the urge to arrest him. Every day since his escape two years prior she had dreamed of being the one to bring him down. Her last year in training had been spent assisting senior Aurors collect and collate all information on Sirius Orion Black, trying to be one step ahead.

Many of those she had been working for had been quite abrupt with their view that she, as a relative of their quarry, should be kept far away from the whole thing but since their only other trainee was three months in and useless their grumbles never came to anything. In the end it was how she and Kingsley had become friends; he didn't automatically assume her Black blood made her a security risk. If anything he suggested that her prior knowledge of their quarry could come in handy and that she might just spot a pattern or see through a disguise where the others would fail.

She had tried questioning her mum, albeit subtly, with little success. Mum had never really believed that her cousin who she trusted to babysit her only child on numerous occasions had actually been an evil maniac. Even with all the evidence, the eye-witness testimonies and the direct murder of one of his school friends she refused to fully believe his guilt. Andromeda Tonks was also a superb Slytherin, which made subtle prying of anything like pulling teeth. As it had turned out, her mum was right.

She wondered if it was that doubt, along with the unsuccessfully repressed memories of piggy-back rides, gobstone Quidditch and a trip on a flying motorcycle that she kept her promise never to tell about that had helped her see the truth. Working closely with Kingsley even after she was qualified, they began to see holes in the story. Two of the muggle witnesses claimed they saw Pettigrew cast a spell first and one dusty report included a muggle child's testimony that he had magically turned into a rat and run away. All of these had been dutifully filed under Questionable Reliability and the muggles memories wiped. Two days later there had been the commotion at Hogwarts when Black was caught and subsequently escaped, with his number one target proclaiming his innocence.

Dawlish and Scrimgeour had told her directly how much bollocks that was, and even Robards and Schuyler who were usually fairly open-minded started giving her suspicious looks when she asked the question. Kingsley had stayed silent on the matter and she mentally raged at him for a week before he took her aside to a meeting with one of their trainers, old retired Mad-Eye.

He had told them everything that he knew about Black from the first war in his usual abrupt manner. He had also mentioned the werewolf professor who had once been amongst Black's best friends and the story he, and three children including Harry Potter were now telling. It hadn't taken long to fill in the gaps, which was why she was now walking into this kitchen.

Sirius stopped just out of arms reach and stared at her, then drew her into a bear-hug like she remembered from her childhood. When they broke apart he was still wide-eyed, and turned back to the occupied corner with a grin.

"Do you believe it Moony? Little Tonks all grown up!"

The sandy-brown haired man who had been trying to help Charlie Weasley's brother breathe again did a double take as he looked back up at her. She remembered him too, she realised, though the lines of his face had not been so sharp, his hair less gray, his eyes less sad. He had been at Sirius's place when she stayed over the weekend while her parents went away. There had been a third man too, though all she could remember was that he was small. They had taught her to play cards and gobstone Quidditch, and it had been one of the most fun weekends she had ever had.

The man rose from his seat, and hesitantly offered his hand.

"You probably don't remember me. Remus Lupin."

_The werewolf!_ The voice in her mind made the connection, and she hesitated momentarily. Then again, she was a shapeshifter too, she knew what it was like to be judged. She grinned back and took the offered hand.


	2. First Date

**DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR. **

* * *

"Dad?" The blurry male figure came into focus and Tonks felt herself blushing at the mistake.

"I can go," he said quickly and was half out of the chair before she realised what was happening.

"No, stay please Remus."

He settled back down, perched on the edge of the horrendously uncomfortable St Mungo's visitor's stool, ready to take flight if necessary.

"So er-"

"Um..how-"

They both stopped adn looked at each-other before she smiled and said "You first."

He shifted again and didn't meet her eyes as he asked, "I just…how are you doing?"

"Okay," she replied, clamping down on her emotions, determined not to cry this time. "You?"

This time he did smile wryly and meet her eyes. "Okay I guess."

Her memory of the fight in the Department of Mysteries ended with a flash of white light and an uncontrollable falling sensation. She had apparently hovered in and out of consciousness for the next few days as she remembered seeing Mum, Dad, Kingsley and Professor McGonagall at various times by her bedside. When she finally woke it was Mad-eye, his grizzled features twisted into a grimace of relief at her recovery who told her about Sirius. She had raged at his memory for not staying behind like he was told to, for baiting Aunt Bella when he was so out of practice. Then she had raged at herself for not stopping the mad Death Eater before Aunt Bella had a chance to kill Sirius. She had hidden from Remus for several days, not wanting to face the man whose best friend got killed because she wasn't good enough until Kingsley ordered her to snap out of it. She still wasn't entirely convinced that it wasn't her fault, but her boss was right; Remus needed all the support they could give, and she could give a lot.

It had started out as a joke, Sirius flippantly commenting on the apparent lack of female company in Remus's life. She, along with Bill and Kingsley had howled with laughter as Remus turned red and fled the room. Over time the repeated light-hearted comments about how they were well suited, despite the age difference that she refused to acknowledge became more serious and pointed. It took her a while to realise Sirius was playing match-maker, but since she didn't really mind she let him continue. She wasn't the one he'd need to convince.

One night in early February they had managed to get Remus a little drunk (the rest of them had been very drunk, but that only made it easier) and she managed a brief kiss on the staircase. He'd turned red for the next week whenever she looked at him, and had been very careful not to find himself alone with her for at least a month, but eventually they had settled into a comfortable sort of not saying anything about it. The fact that they often sat next to one another at meetings, or dinner when she was at Headquarters, or that their hands or legs occasionally touched went unremarked.

Actually having him in the room alone, as she did now was more than she had hoped for, and she could almost hear Sirius's commentary over her shoulder; _"Go for it, don't just lie there. And for Merlin's sake don't let him get away. He'll run if you let him."_

Slowly, as though he was a trapped animal she was trying not to spook, she reached out and curled her fingers around his, feeling him go suddenly still. Then all of a sudden he relaxed, his hand turning in hers so that their fingers intertwined, and she wondered if she wasn't the only one hearing Sirius egging them on in their head.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence he looked away, down on the floor next to his chair.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

She rolled over to see what he was doing as he gently released her hand and started rummaging. With a triumphant "aha!" he drew from the worn bag that she could just see the top of what appeared to be a covered plate and cutlery.

"From Molly," he explained as he helped her sit upright and conjured a board across her lap to sit the dish on. "She doesn't believe that you're being fed properly after hearing about Arthur's stay here. I've been instructed to make sure you finish it all."

Curiosly, she lifted the cover and was swamped by the wonderful aroma of steak and kidney pie, with a heap of mashed potatoes and vegetables. Her stomach rumbled and they both laughed as she tucked in to her first decent meal all week. It didn't take her long to inhale the food, and Remus kept her company by filling her in on the Order details from the last few days. She felt incredibly revived by the time she had finished, though she wasn't sure if it was Remus's company or the decent meal she had to thank. Maybe both.

He vanished the empty plate for her while she gulped the last of the pumpkin juice, and she relaxed back on her pillows with a sigh.

"Don't fall asleep on me yet, or I'll eat all this cake by myself."

"Cake?"

He laughed as she forced her drooping eyelids open and sat up again, honing in on the smell of chocolate and strawberries. In the end she was forced to split it with him, full after a week of hospital meals. She took the opportunity to enjoy watching him eat the last of the chocolate-coated strawberries.

"So you visit me alone and bring me cake in bed. Does this count as a date?"

He froze again, toying with the strawberry leaves as he tried to formulate an answer.

"I…I guess," he muttered hesitantly, and she figured he was thinking of the difference in their ages again. Then she realised how young she must look, tucked into bed while he fed her dinner.

Hesitantly she reached out for his hand again and this time he curled his fingers around hers straight away. She squeezed in what she hoped was a comforting way and was rewarded with a smile that made him look ten years younger. Her age, nearly.

They could do this.


	3. First Fight

**DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR. **

* * *

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not being ridiculous. It's too dangerous, and besides…"

"Besides what? Do you not love me anymore? Look me in the eye and tell me that Remus."

The words sounded horribly shallow even to her, like she was some desperate teenager talking of forever after two months. She was somewhat mollified by the fact that he looked away first.

He had changed back into his oldest robes for his most recent mission, and her eyes followed the trail of one of the many loose threads back to the frayed cuff. His hands were clenched white, trembling, and she wondered absently if it was fear or anger. She had never really seen him angry before.

She wasn't surprised then when she saw him take a deep calming breath and steadily meet her gaze. She wasn't prepared for the words that followed.

"I don't love you Nympadora Tonks. I have been selfish and blinded by desire, but I won't let that destroy your life anymore. You would do much better without me. Please leave."

Just like that he turned away and closed the door of the tiny apartment he rented when not living out in the forest. She was left staring at the peeling paint and tarnished brass 4, her mind reeling as it tried to process his last words to her.

The fact that he thought he could dictate her life to her angered her almost as much as the fact he had lied to her face. And she knew it was a lie, it had to be a lie, because all the other times couldn't be lies.

Luckily for him he had stepped back from the door, and he jumped and turned from the counter as she blasted it in. He was still white, and she thought she could see a glisten on his cheeks that suggested tears. It made her hesitate for a second, and she realised how she must look, oversized tie-dyed tee-shirt with a fuchsia half-robe and knee-length skirt over leggings. More of the angsty teenager, the world centred on her problems and moods and turquoise curls.

"That was immature."

He gestured to the smoking door, his voice lacking the note of warmth she had come to expect and love. It was a light, soft voice, the hoarse note drifting in and out with the moon. A teacher's voice, a father's voice, inspiring calm confidence and care. There had been bitterness too, but she had driven it out one kiss, one touch at a time, or so she thought.

There was no point trying to argue with him now, she realised through the haze of anger and swooping feeling of loss that was now settling in her stomach. He would say those same words over and over; too old, too poor, too dangerous.

She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the cracked window as she turned and swept out the door, repairing it with a flick of her wand over her shoulder, though no doubt he would undo her charm-work and fix it himself later. Her hair was that awful mouse-brown of fourth-year-from-hell and her face was flushed. She gritted her teeth and forced the fair skin back, though the hair stayed despondently brown.

A day or two to calm down was all they both needed; then she would make him see sense.


	4. The Proposal

**DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR. **

* * *

Drunk. She hadn't been properly drunk for a long time, though toasting Dumbledore's memory with her old school friends had seemed a good excuse. It had been over a year since any of them had seen Charlie, and they had all teased Andy unmercifully about his goofy grin as he hovered protectively over a pregnant Beth. She had been the only one of them sober, and also had the camera, a dangerous combination. No doubt there were already photos being developed of Michael and Jacob duelling with breadsticks, Kate and Laney threatening Larry with a makeover and Tonks sitting in Charlie's lap. She hoped to god that she could get her hands on that one before Remus saw it. Right after she got rid of this hangover.

She rolled over so that she was facing the edge of the bed and tried to order herself to get up. Undoubtedly Moody or Remus or Kingsley would drop by later to update her on the situation and she wanted to look a little less like a teenager after a night of partying. The knock on the door coupled with the pounding in her head and she cursed as she hurried to answer it, trying in vain to charm the stains out of her rumpled t-shirt.

Of course it was Remus, looking far too amused at this early morning hour. A surreptitious glance at the clock as she let him in made her realise that it wasn't all that early. Or morning for that matter.

"Go ahead and say it," she called over her shoulder as she summoned a glass and filled it with water.

"Say what?" Remus asked as he waved a flask in front of her eyes. It took her a few seconds to recognise it as a hangover potion. She looked at him questioningly as she gulped it down, sighing as the throbbing in her head eased almost immediately.

"Courtesy of Bill. Don't worry, apparently Charlie is worse, though he woke up long enough to suggest you'd need this."

"I'm sorry Remus. I should be more responsible than this. I am more responsible than this."

To her astonishment, he didn't agree or start another argument about the difference in their ages. Instead he sat in the one chair not piled with clothes or paperwork and smiled, his long fingers absently tracing the swirling pattern across her kitchen table.

"Someone very wise, who may or may not have been your Auror mentor once told me we all have to live sometimes, so that we remember why we are fighting."

She snorted disbelievingly. "That doesn't sound much like Mad-eye. Maybe he was nicer to you guys, but for us it was all constant vigilance and sneak attacks in the cafeteria."

"Oh, we heard something like that from James and Alice when they dragged themselves back from work. Of course Moody was still on badge back then, so they had some nice mentors too."

He suddenly frowned and looked down, and she held her breath, waiting for the inevitable, but another opportunity to comment on the thirteen year age gap passed without comment.

Tonks filled the silence by setting the kettle boiling and puttering around the cramped kitchen. As she handed Remus his tea, no milk, two sugars, scalding hot, she realised that it was more of a comfortable silence, a pleasant change to the last ten months of sniping and ignoring one another. Well, he'd been doing most of the ignoring, or trying to. Tonks was not a woman to be ignored, and looking back she undoubtedly had seemed like the clingy stalker from hell at times.

But somehow it had all worked out. Two days ago they had sat side by side, hand in hand at Dumbledore's funeral, and it had seemed so right, so strong. They could take the whole world on if they only had each other, and she wanted him beside her like that forever.

The tea saw off the last of her headache and she cast a quick glance to the side as she drained the mug. He was staring into the depths of the half-empty cup, brow creased in a thoughtful frown that made her fingers itch to reach out and smooth it. She curled them around the handle instead, hoping that soon they would be past that uncertain stage where the spontaneous touches would be natural.

A questioning noise made her realise she had been staring at him, and she decided to hell with caution, she needed him. She reached out to him and found his hands already there, drawing her into his arms where she could rest her head on his shoulder. His fingers were in her hair, stroking gently through the short spikes, his breath warm against her neck. It was right, they were right.

_I'm going to say it_, she told herself forcefully, welling up the courage to say the words that could destroy what happiness they had finally regained. Her Hufflepuff nature told her to wait, but she couldn't wait forever. Now or never, now or never.

She opened her mouth to speak it just as Remus drew in breath. They stared at one another for a few seconds before he reached out and brushed a spike of pink hair back from her cheek.

"You first."

Now or never.

"Will..I..I want to marry you."

She saw his eyes widen, and for one horrible moment she thought she had ruined it all. Then he threw back his head and laughed, one of those rare genuine laughs that she hadn't heard from him since Sirius died. He smiled, and caressed the side of her face as he replied, "I was about to say the same thing."

"Oh. So that's a yes then?"

His answer didn't require words.


	5. The Wedding

**DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR. **

* * *

When she had imagined possible weddings back in fifth year the picture had always included a large cake, family and friends dancing madly to 60's muggle music, her dad, slightly tipsy making terrible jokes at her new husband's expense while mum tried not to crack a smile.

Charlie Weasley and Larry Hamilton would be up to their usual tricks, Donny would bring his band and she would dance with every man there, her dress swirling to the beat. The dress, at least five different colours cleverly interwoven with rainbow-hued sequins, her hair morphed to match. The man at her side had been a vague figure of imagination in these teenage discussions, smartly dressed and undoubtedly handsome and wonderfully intelligent.

The scene certainly hadn't included a shabby ministry office where the official said the words as quickly as possible, glancing towards the door every ten seconds for the inevitable crashing. Her dress was a simple affair of plain white cloth that she had bought from a muggle store, and Remus's fine robes were on loan from Bill, who shared his lanky build. Their vows were said in thirty seconds, the plain silver rings exchanged and the papers signed at a rapid pace. Kingsley and Mad-Eye stood as witnesses, while her parents and the two Weasley boys kept guard near the door ready to try and delay whoever came through.

She wished her friends could have been here to share the moment, but they hadn't wanted to risk the wrong people finding out too soon. Charlie had promised to let the crowd know as soon as the papers were signed, and her parents were hosting a reception of sorts in their garden for the few of them that were able to come.

The ministry official finished with the traditional words, "Then I declare you bonded for life," and they had time for a quick touch of the lips before there was a crash in the corridor, someone colliding with the door.

Three raps were followed by an imperious demand to open the portal, and Bill pretended to struggle with the lock, calling back that it was jammed and that they wouldn't be a minute. It was time enough for Ted to snap a quick photo of her and Remus, and for Charlie to get another of her and her parents, before a louder crash interrupted.

The tiny figure marched into the room, nose upturned over a triumphant smirk as she honed in on the ministry man. She unceremoniously shoved a fistful of parchment under his nose as she declared to the room, "As a representative of the Minister's office I insist that this ceremony be immediately and permanently halted under the Official Dangerous Creatures Act, Decree seventy-two."

She glanced around, apparently puzzled at the lack of protest, and continued, "Subsection two details the re-categorization of werewolves as dark creatures in all forms of their existence, and subsection four explicitly outlaws the subsequent marriage of humans to dark creatures for the safety of our community. Any attempt to continue with this ceremony will be viewed as a breach of these laws, with penalties including imprisonment of said dark creatures and the immediate termination of Ministry employees found to be breaching this amendment."

Before Tonks had even finished processing this, they were interrupted by a soft cough from behind them. The weedy official stammered a little as every eye in the room fixed on him, but he straightened his robes in an officious manner before gesturing with the paperwork in his hand.

"Madam Vaisey, this…ah…amendment makes no provision for marriages conducted prior to its instatement three minutes ago."

"I fail to see the problem in this case," the witch replied, drawing herself up to her full and less than impressive height so that she could look down her nose at him.

"It's just that, er, the papers were filed four minutes and seventeen seconds ago. They were already legally married."

Tonks jumped as a hand closed on her shoulder and Dad's voice whispered in her ear.

"I think it's time to go sweetheart, before this little b-…well, before someone makes a scene."

"Agreed," came Remus's voice from her other side, taking her hand as they edged towards the open door.

An outraged cry followed them down the hall as they escaped.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE ALREADY MARRIED?"

They apparated as a group as they reached the foyer, appearing just beyond the security charms by the pond. She dried the hem of her dress absently as they stepped inside, the wafting smell of her mother's cooking greeting them at the door.

Remus was already trying to apologise to her parents for ruining the day, blaming himself as per usual for something that wasn't his fault. They ignored these apologies as planned, Mum shooing him forcefully to a seat of honour at the head of the small table where Dad forced a glass of firewhiskey into his hand.

"A toast to the newly-weds. Dora and Remus Lupin."

The small group drank, and the liquor had barely chased its way down her throat before Remus spoke.

"How long is it going to take them to backdate that law do you think?"

She tried to kick him under the table, but her shoes caught in her dress. As far as she was concerned the whole day had been a success, especially compared to her parents' wedding.

Charlie came to her rescue, tapping his empty glass on the table for attention, grinning broadly.

"Ah, but you're legally married, which means even if they backdate the law, there's still a lot of paperwork to do right? And paperwork takes time and inevitably gets lost for a few months. Damnit Remus, you just married the best looking girl in my year. Shut up and enjoy it will you, at least for tonight?"

It was not the wedding of her youthful dreams, she reflected as Dad said grace, then proceeded to butcher the roast. But Remus more than made up for that.


	6. First Child

**DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR. **

**Warning: Childbirth.** I've tried to keep it as non descriptive as possible.

* * *

"I SWEAR if you tell me to push one more time I'll hex your mouth shut with a permanent sticking charm!"

"Your wand is in my pocket, I'd like to see you try."

Tonks glared at her mother as another contraction hit her, slamming her fists into the mattress and biting her lip to stop herself crying out. The threat had been a common one during her childhood, one she would undoubtedly use with her own children, if they ever got out of her body.

Her mother had confiscated the wand the moment her waters broke, three decades of healer's experience apparently overruling any objections about the fact that there was a war on. Andromeda Tonks was a difficult woman to argue with, and Healer Tonks was worse.

"Now listen to me Dora," her mother's voice penetrated the mental haze as another run of cramps chased across her abdomen. "You should be able to morph as you push and make it an easy delivery. You just need to concentrate. Can you do that for me?"

Tonks nodded, wrapping her fingers in the sheets as she tried to draw her focus.

"How is she doing?"

Her mother responded to the panicked query by slamming the door with a flick of her wand, but Remus' voice and face provided Tonks with what she needed: a focus.

Closing her eyes, she mentally forced away the pain, replacing it with the image of her and Remus, the child in his arms, his amber eyes staring up from the round face. Or perhaps her grey eyes and the sharp Black cheekbones she had been born with, or maybe even Dad's sky-blue, skipping the generation. Either way the baby would be the most beautiful thing in existence, and it would be _her_ child.

She felt the muscles relax into her control, and took a deep breath as she heard the command.

"Ok, push now."

Her lower body trembled under the strain as she forced her muscles to shift, and she cried out with the strain. A second voice joined her cry and it was all of a sudden over. She forced herself upright to see the boy in her mother's arms being handed to Remus to wash. He had the cheekbones for sure, and a small patch of fine dark waves, damp from the birth. The eyes were definitely his, and the mouth too. She reached out and Remus brought their son close enough for her to touch before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Rest now Dora. I'll give him a bath and bring him right back. Our Teddy."

He was beaming as he left the room, and Tonks suddenly felt the drain of the last few hours. She lay back on the suddenly crisp sheets as her mother finished tidying up, wand dancing with the well-practiced spells.

"Take a nap Dora. I'll make sure T-" Mum took a deep breath and blinked several times, "I'll make sure Teddy is fine. Rest now."

She was woken from her doze by a sudden tug on her arm, and she snatched for the wand that wasn't in her pocket. Her abdomen reminded her that she shouldn't be moving so quickly so soon as the excited face of her husband floated into view.

"Dora, his hair! Look at his hair!"

The evening's events suddenly came back to her and she found herself with an armful of sleeping baby, the dark curls now a light ginger. Which was strange, since neither of their families had red-heads, except for her when she morphed…

"Oh. Oh wow. Teddy."

"Yeah."

"I wonder if they'll all be like this," she murmured as she touched her sleeping son's face.

"They'll all be beautiful," Remus replied as he knelt beside the bed to help support the baby's weight.

"After all they are yours."


	7. First Anniversary

**DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to JKR. **

Last chapter, just in time for the challenge due date. Also my HP entry for the 5,10, 20, 50, 70, 100 fandoms challenge. Thanks all for R&Ring.

* * *

The nineteenth of July was cool but clear, the early morning sunlight dancing off the marble stone. Harry checked for the hundredth time that the cap over Teddy's constantly changing hair was well secured before kneeling to place the wreath. Aspen and willow to match their wands intertwined with forget-me-nots from Andromeda's garden. Teddy had inadvertently collected the latter when his foot slipped from Harry's arms and dragged through the garden bed, but they took it as a sign and added it to the wreath.

It should have been so different, their first anniversary. With the war over they would have lived happily, he was sure, in this new and better world. Tonks would surely have been promoted to a senior Auror position and Kingsley had already done away with the laws preventing werewolves from working. Remus would have been back in the classroom, getting ready to teach his own son in eleven years time.

Instead it was Harry as the Auror, holding little Teddy while Andromeda charmed the white marble to a gleaming finish and completed her silent conversation with her daughter and son-in-law's shades.

Harry hadn't been raised religious, but Andromeda, through Ted was, and he saw that it comforted her these last few months that her loved ones were looking down from a better place. He had debated returning to the forest to search for the stone for her, so that she could at least say goodbye, but eventually realised that that was the trap of the Hallows; how could you ever learn to move on when your loved ones were half-there. Besides, the stone was one amongst thousands, quite possibly crushed underfoot by Death Eater or centaur.

They all had to learn to live on, and he would make sure that Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks would not be forgotten, and that their son would have a long and happy life.

The boy in question reached out a chubby hand towards a brightly coloured butterfly and Harry swung him carefully around to have a closer look. The few strands of hair peeking out from under the cap turned a vivid turquoise, just like the spotted wings and Teddy laughed as it flew away.

"I believe Molly is expecting us at ten?"

Andromeda was standing ready, one arm outreached and Harry handed her grandson to her, then offered her his arm as they headed back towards the kissing gate. They passed his parents' marker on the way out, the fresh roses bright against the white stone, and turned together to apparate to the Burrow.


End file.
